Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 19 clash between the Dolphins and Rabbitohs.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
The Dolphins Vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Venue: Kayo Stadium, Redcliffe
Date: Thursday July 11, 7:50pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Dolphins: 1. Trai Fuller 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Max Plath 10. Tevita Pangai Junior 11. Connelly Lemuelu 12. Euan Aitken 13. Kenny Bromwich 14. Josh Kerr 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Ray Stone 17. Sean O’Sullivan 18. Oryn Keeley 19. Tesi Niu 20. Anthony Milford 21. Mason Teague 22. Robert Jennings
Rabbitohs: 1. Jye Gray 2. Alex Johnston 3. Taane Milne 4. Richard Kennar 5. Jacob Gagai 6. Jack Wighton 7. Cody Walker 8. Davvy Moale 9. Damien Cook 10. Sean Keppie 11. Michael Chee Kam 12. Jai Arrow 13. Keaon Koloamatangi 14. Peter Mamouzelos 15. Tallis Duncan 16. Thomas Burgess 17. Liam Le Blanc 18. Dion Teaupa 19. Fletcher Myers 20. Siliva Havili 21. Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson 22. Thomas Fletcher
Referee: Gerard Sutton
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Wayne Bennett’s current club hosts his future club to kick off the shortened NRL round 19. It’s the first time the Dolphins have hosted South Sydney at Kayo Stadium, and they will be keen to keep their win rate at the ground above 50% and maintain their top eight spot in the process.
With State of Origin III just around the corner, both coaches have been forced into a raft of changes. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Felise Kaufusi are both in Origin camp, allowing Trai Fuller to start at fullback, and Tevita Pangai Junior to make his first starting appearance at prop. The foot injury to Jeremy Marshall-King forces him out of the side, with Max Plath starting at hooker, and Kenny Bromwich moving to lock. Jack Bostock returns on the wing in place of Tesi Niu, while Josh Kerr, Ray Stone, and Sean O’Sullivan all join the bench.
Off the back of their fifth win in a row, Rabbitohs interim coach Ben Hornby has maintained most of his squad, only losing Latrell Mitchell to a foot injury of his own, with Jye Gray returning to the side, and Cameron Murray in Origin camp, with Michael Chee Kam starting in the back row and 19-year-old Liam Le Blanc named for his second appearance on the interchange.
After a strong start to the year, the Dolphins have faltered in recent weeks, losing four of the past five, with three of them by a converted try or less. Their most recent appearance at Kayo Stadium was their Golden Point loss to Canberra and they now face the risk of dropping out of the top eight for the first time since round 1.
The story is vastly different at South Sydney, who have now won five straight after losing all bar one of their first 10 games. They now remarkably sit only two points outside the top eight and have fans optimistic that a repeat of the “Miracle of ‘55” might yet be possible. A loss however would push them back down into the bottom four, potentially as low as 15th.
This will be just the second meeting of the two teams, after the Rabbitohs belted the Dolphins 36-14 on a Thursday night in round 7, 2023 at Suncorp Stadium. The Dolphins have won three of their five matches at Kayo Stadium by an average margin of nearly 20 points. They’ve won two of the three games they’ve played there against Sydney teams. This will be South Sydney’s first trip to Redcliffe. Bennett has struggled against his old clubs so far in 2024, losing his last four straight (Brisbane, Newcastle, Canberra and St George Illawarra, respectively) and only winning four of the fourteen games he’s coached the Dolphins against his former clubs. However, he has won three from four against his old clubs at Kayo Stadium.
It’s impossible to tell who will win a game at this time of year. The Dolphins are fresh off the bye and at home, whereas the Rabbitohs have winning momentum. The story will revolve around Bennett in one way or another and he’ll be hoping for a good game of footy to tell the tale.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Number Crunch Stats.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Check out all the NRL Predictions here.
Dolphins by 4 points.
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